The Royal King

It's been a full month of Mattel here in May on the blog. We've already seen some royalty, but it's time to end it all with The Kingdom of the Madness. In fact, this is no ordinary Macho King, this is how he appeared at a truly royal event nearly thirty years ago. It's an attire that has never before been produced in action figure form and will hopefully open the doors for similarly designed Randy Savage figures in the future.

Earlier this year Mattel released yet another retailer exclusive series with distribution issues. This time it was a Royal Rumble series distributed (yeah...) to Target stores. While Bobby Lashley, Lita, and The Rock were solid entries for many, the only one that interested me was Macho King Randy Savage. Long a fan of this brief era in the career of the Macho Man, this "King" is different. Most of the figures reflecting his "regal" splendor have included the crown. The only one that hadn't was the  first Mattel figure of Randy Savage, reviewed here nearly a decade ago. That one came from the final bout of the Macho King and was in one of his colorful "cowboy" outfits that continued as part of his attire when he returned to being the more common Macho Man.

This design is from the 1991 Royal Rumble. Savage ended up not even competing at the event, though he did play a big part in it. After shenanigans involving Sensational Queen Sherri earlier in the evening, Savage would go on to smash both a production light and his scepter over the head of the Ultimate Warrior during his title match with Sgt. Slaughter thus causing the former to lose the WWF Championship. Both of those foreign objects are included here, as are a "Macho King" bandana, sunglasses, and an extra pair of hands which we'll revisit here shortly. While Savage was slated to be a participant in the Royal Rumble match itself, he was "ultimately" kept from the bout.

Honestly, the packaging for this Royal Rumble series is fairly drab. While it may work for the other three in the set, Macho King would've looked far better in a box similar to that of the Elite Flashback figures. Can you imagine how great it would've looked in the box next to the Rumble '91 Warrior figure from one of the Flashback sets? The figures are from the same match, but sadly that isn't how these releases work.

The figure itself is superb and probably should've been part of the main line. There hasn't been an Elite Macho King figure in years, and Savage appeals to all, as he always has. Why shove him into an exclusive set? The face sculpt seems to be new and features a toothy grimace very reminiscent of Savage. The paint apps are striking, though a bit sloppy on mine as has been an issue as of late with other figures. I'm hoping that this Savage design with the shirt is reused again down the line in different colors. While we have had a ton of figures of the Macho Man, what could a few more colorful variations hurt? I guarantee they would sell better than the endless Seth Rollins clogging up pegs.

The aforementioned accessories are a big part of the appeal. The scepter was also released with the Rumble '91 Warrior though it has more detailed paint apps this time around. It "breaks" just as it did in the original release and to my recollection was only used at the '91 Rumble for that sole purpose. The real one seemed to be made of plastic in order to break and is not the more common scepter presented by Ted DiBiase to Savage at his coronation. The lamp is bigger than the actual one at the event and has been included in sets before, but it's a fun touch. The gem here is that we finally have pointing hands to alternate on a Randy Savage figure. Who pointed more? I can't think of anyone.

This is a winner. Again, it's a shame that it was in a poorly distributed retailer exclusive series, but I'm not taking anything away from the figure for that. If there's a 2020 Figure of the Year candidate, this would be it so far. With the upcoming new Legends series being available for online pre-order, perhaps the days of these hard-to-get exclusives are slowly coming to an end. We can hope. While I just championed the Mattel product with a month's worth of blog entries, my frustrations were made clear. Perhaps for the 2021 installment of "Mattel May" we'll be celebrating the ease of obtaining these great figures upon release.

We can hope.

Wrestling MarketWatch: Ring Royalty

Pro wrestling has champions, icons, heroes, and villains. Many from those categories eventually become legends. But what about..royalty? There have been many kings, and even a few queens, of the ring. Some were crowned in tournaments, others seemed to achieve their titles out of thin air. Nevertheless, most of these superstars felt that they were above the other wrestlers who were simply there to bow in servitude. This week in MarketWatch we look at some memorabilia recognizing the reigns of five great kings of the squared circle.

*Near the end of his career, the legendary Harley Race arrived in the World Wrestling Federation and won a non-televised King of the Ring tournament to take the crown. The former NWA World Heavyweight Champion decided that this was an appropriate title and reigned over the WWF for nearly two years. Much of Race's memorabilia comes from this run, but there is none more iconic than his figure from LJN as part of the Wrestling Superstars line. Recently this loose, complete figure has seen sale prices ranging from $50 to $165 proving that Race still reigns powerfully on the secondary market.

*It was fellow Heenan family member Haku who next held the crown. The Tongan superstar memorably battled Race in a "King's Crown Match" at the 1989 Royal Rumble. Haku sent Race packing from the WWF with a victory and ended up sitting on the throne for a few more months. While Haku's LJN figure did not end up being "The King" as originally advertised, he did see a royal representation in the Jakks WWE Classic Superstars line. That figure recently sold loose and complete at auction for between $20 and $30.

*Yet another Heenan family member went by the "King" moniker, but this man did not wear a crown. I'm not sure that one would have even fit on his head. The monstrous King Kong Bundy reigned supreme with sheer girth and power, not to mention his dreaded "Avalanche" finishing maneuver. Bundy's matinee idol mug made the cover of the August/September 1986 issue of WWE Magazine and recently sold at auction (unsigned) for $17.

*There were kings, and then there was the Macho King. When Randy Savage took the crown from King Duggan in late 1989, the Macho Man took on a whole new life. His last appearance as the Macho King took place at WrestleMania VII in 1991 in a losing effort against The Ultimate Warrior. Mattel kicked off their Defining Moments line with Savage clad in this unique attire. Although the packaging read "Macho Man," this is clearly the last stand of the "Macho King." This figure, loose and complete, recently sold for $36.

*In the opinion of myself and legions of other loyal subjects, there is only one true king of wrestling: Jerry Lawler. His kingdom may start in Memphis, but it stretches across the world. He has piledriven many pretenders right into defeat time and time again. From his work both in and out of the ring, there will never be another Jerry Lawler. It's been well-documented right here on this blog that Lawler has had a little singing career as well. One of his 45 singles, "Mean Streak," recently sold for $20.50.

Long Live The King(s)!

The COLORful World Of 1991 WWF

In Christmases of my youth, I always looked forward to stocking stuffers. In my family, we always opened the stocking last. It was a place for small, inexpensive gifts, but often times those presents were the best of all. I can even remember coloring books being stuffed inside. No matter the content, I enjoyed coloring. I always found difficulty staying inside the lines, but it didn't matter. Even my very first piece of wrestling memorabilia was a coloring book, covering the wide world of Hulk Hogan's Rock n Wrestling cartoon.

In the past few months, I've come to enjoy the trend that is "adult coloring." It might actually be more accurate to say that I've rediscovered coloring in general, as my status as an adult is questioned even in my own mind. As far as the "adult coloring books" that are on the market, I just don't like them. The "artistic" design of the drawings to color leave very little room unless you're using a thin colored pencil. No sir. Give me broad designs with a lot of room for me to smash my Crayolas into a colorful crescendo.

Going back to kiddie coloring books got me to thinking of just how wrestling translated to the medium. Of course, there were the aforementioned Rock 'n Wrestling books, but I knew that there were more. Recently, I stumbled upon a completed Jimmy Hart page colored by someone online. The picture was familiar to me, and I suddenly remembered a line of WWF coloring books from 1991. Upon an eBay search, I discovered two things. First, I was fairly sure that I have an unused example with an Ultimate Warrior cover packed away somewhere. Second, I may not be the only one looking for these to satisfy their "adult coloring" urges. The asking prices were rather high, no doubt drummed up by recent interest. Nonetheless, I made an offer for a very reasonably priced example, and in my hands a few days later was the WWF Tag Team Superstars Coloring Book.

Hawk and Animal, in their classic first WWF promo shot, may grace the cover of this "tag team" book, but it's really a showcase for a lot of 1991 WWF talent. Heck, even Andre the Giant shows up here in his wrestling gear. What I found the coolest was that some of the managers were included. In addition to the exact Jimmy Hart page that I had seen online, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Mr. Fuji, and Sensational Queen Sherri are here, too, in an era when the non-wrestlers just weren't marketed like the in-ring WWF Superstars.

WWE still releases coloring books, but aside from The Undertaker and Triple H, you aren't going to find many legends to color. Want to stylize the likes of Earthquake, Dino Bravo, and The Barbarian? Then you have to go old school. I truly believe in the well-touted relaxing effects of coloring as an adult. It can transport you to a much more comforting time in your life. Coloring the wrestling heroes and villains of my youth only accentuates that.

Coloring vintage wrestlers is a match made in Heaven for me. Since the wrestlers of the era had so many different outfits, not to mention color schemes, it leaves a lot of room for your own interpretations. Don't feel like you're above coloring...it's something that you have likely done since you were in the single digits. And keep that "Yellow-Orange" Crayola handy, it's perfect for the big boys of the era!

The 25th Anniversary of Hasbro WWF--Part 4

The Hasbro WWF line was a ton of fun to play with.  Growing up with them as I did, I ought to know.  The lack of non-wrestler figures in the collection was a bit frustrating, but Hasbro was likely looking at LJN sales records where some manager and announcer figures performed worse at retail compared to the wrestlers themselves.  Even without the extra characters, the Hasbro figures remain a favorite all of these years later, and here are five more of my own favorite products from the line...

*Macho Madness makes my list twice!  Although he was the "Macho King" for less than two years, it was a very cool extension of the Randy Savage character.  Coupled with Sensational Queen Sherri, the duo is well-remembered for their feuds with Dusty Rhodes, Sapphire, Miss Elizabeth, The Ultimate Warrior, and Roddy Piper.  Despite not being in the title scene of the time, Savage's matches with the aforementioned foes headlined cards around the country.  The Hasbro Macho King figure had a regal purple and gold color scheme and came complete with removable crown and a sceptre for bashing opponents ("Ding!"--Jesse Ventura).

*Earthquake and Typhoon weren't a couple of fat slobs, these were two gigantic and powerful men.  I was always a fan of the larger-than-life wrestlers, and the very first tag team match that I saw live pitted the Natural Disasters against Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Sgt. Slaughter.  Just a few months later I was again thrilled when the Hasbro Natural Disasters hit the stores.  By this time, Hasbro was no longer producing tag team sets, so Earthquake and Typhoon were sold separately.  My parents were as watchful for new product as I was, and one afternoon my mother surprised me with Earthquake.  She even went as far as to suggest that I team him with Akeem until I could purchase Typhoon!  In case you were wondering, that extra large team never came to be.  A short time later I bought Typhoon at Children's Palace with some money from my grandparents.

*The Hot Rod!  Though the Hasbro version of Piper is wearing entrance gear, I.wouldn't have it any other way.  Roddy has always been among my favorites in the Hasbro line, and it's actually a version that we haven't seen since.  The red elbow pads indicate that Hasbro was trying to capture the look from early in his 1989 return.  I have also always appreciated the effort that was taken by combining his "pre-ring" kilt attire with a no-nonsense action pose.  And of course, this figure is perfect for recreating his 1992 Saturday Night's Main Event match with The Mountie.  You remember.  "Shock Proof!"

*As most companies do with major licenses like the WWF, Hasbro branched out.  None of the other toys were nearly as successful as the action figures, but a few were just as fun.  The Jake Roberts "Snake" toy is a cool spin-off, but it was released at a bad time.  To begin with, it was simply marketed as his "snake" as opposed to Damien or Lucifer.  Whether or not this had to do with the names themselves or the fact that it was designed/released around the time of the transition is anyone's guess.  Add that to the fact that Roberts himself was gone from the WWF not long after release ensured that the snake would have a short sales window.

*Who would've believed, even in 1992 when his first figure hit shelves, that The Undertaker would be one of the longest lasting creations to come from the company?  The aura of the character may only be matched by the likes of Andre the Giant.  The evolution of the character helped keep "The Deadman" alive for nearly a quarter of a century.  The original look and feel of The Undertaker, an old west mortician, was never better captured than in the Hasbro figure. In his second release, it was the inclusion of the cloth overcoat that truly made the figure fresh and unique.

Up next...my final five!